VIDEO: Irate Fallsburg parents demand action in heroin case

Thursday

Feb 20, 2014 at 2:00 AMFeb 20, 2014 at 4:43 PM

FALLSBURG — Two days after news broke that police were investigating six teachers and an aide after twice finding heroin and paraphernalia in the faculty men's bathroom at Benjamin Cosor Elementary, Fallsburg's school board faced questions from angered parents.

Leonard Sparks

FALLSBURG — Two days after news broke that police were investigating six teachers and an aide after twice finding heroin and paraphernalia in the faculty men's bathroom at Benjamin Cosor Elementary, Fallsburg's school board faced questions from angered parents.

About 100 people showed up for Wednesday evening's board meeting, which was moved to the auditorium at Fallsburg Junior/Senior High School to accommodate the crowd.

Many criticized the administration's decision to withhold information about the first of the two discoveries, which occurred just before winter break in December.

Others criticized the district's unions for teachers and aides, and called for the suspension of the seven faculty members until they reversed their refusals to provide urine samples to police.

Dawn Ciorciari of Hurleyville kept her 5-year-old daughter home from prekindergarten on Wednesday and said she felt uncomfortable sending her to school on Thursday.

"It's really sad to me that I had to sit her down this morning and say something about drugs," Ciorciari said of Wednesday's decision.

The Fallsburg administration, the Fallsburg Teacher's Association and the Fallsburg School-Related Professionals union have come under fire over the investigation, which began in December.

A quantity of heroin and several needles were found in the faculty restroom at Cosor the Friday before the Dec. 23 winter break. Then, sometime between the morning and afternoon of Feb. 11, a school staff member reportedly found a heroin baggie.

Camera footage was used to identify eight people who used the bathroom before Monday's discovery, police said.

One, a contract employee providing occupational therapy, voluntarily gave a urine sample. The others — the six teachers and the aide — got legal representation and refused requests for urine samples, police said.

Fallsburg board President Joe Collura, Superintendent Ivan Katz and District Attorney Jim Farrell defended the secrecy surrounding the first discovery. Police were immediately contacted and disclosure would have jeopardized the investigation, they said.

Collura, who got into a heated exchange with Hurleyville parent Robert Heyward near the end of the meeting, urged against rushing to judgment. "That would make us little more than a dictatorship," he said.

"I ask that you be patient," Farrell earlier told the audience. "One thing I will not do as district attorney is rush to any judgment."

Katz told the audience there was no action the board can take until police complete their investigation. "While I want to get to the bottom of this "» we have to protect everyone's rights," he said.

But Insley Unger, who has a son and two stepsons at Cosor, joined a chorus of parents who demanded the district suspend the seven faculty members until police discover who left drugs in the bathroom.

"Why are they still in the school?" she said.

Tressa Evans of Loch Sheldrake accused the administration of having a double standard for teachers.

Her two daughters were suspended for five days for circulating a party flier that mentioned marijuana and alcohol, she said. Two other students received 30-day suspensions, she said.

"My daughters got suspended because of a piece of paper," she said. "But you have these teachers who are sitting here with drugs in the school."

lsparks@th-record.com

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.